Safety Tips for Using Hand Winches

Whether you are pulling vehicles or trucks
out of dirt and muck or hoisting up hay bales, hand winches are very useful
tools. There are many different kinds of hand winches used for many different
situations. Though they are one of the safest ways to lift or pull heavy items,
you should still be extremely careful when using one. Here are a few important
tips to learn if you are thinking of using a hand winch.

You should know just how much weight your
winch can handle; you don't want any catastrophic event to happen just because
you were not careful enough to check how much the weight limit was. If the
object you want to lift or pull weighs more than your hand winch with automatic brake, then the
best thing to do is have two winches so the weight will be divided equally
between the two. Anyway, most winches you buy come with a shear pin that breaks
the line if you've overloaded your winch.

Before actually purchasing your winch, you
have to already know if you are planning to use it for lifting objects or
pulling them, because there is a difference between lifting winches and pulling
winches. Remember that you can't use a lifting winch for pulling objects and
vice versa. Lifting winches are made specialized for lifting objects only. They
have more safety features and a better locking mechanism to make sure the
object you are lifting doesn't fall and smash to the ground, either destroying
the object or hurting someone nearby.

Another thing to remember when using the
winch is to make the line as straight as it can go to reduce stress on the
winch and the cable. Also, if the line is at its straightest it will be much
easier for you. It is very important that you or anyone around stay far away
from the winch cable when using it.

Finally, whenever you are winching make
sure you wear heavy working gloves. These gloves will prevent you from having
blisters while winching, prevent any cuts from wire strands that have frayed a
little, and it will also give you have a better grip on the winch handle.

If you follow these tips, you will keep you
and everyone around you safe while you are using your hand winch. If you want
more information about winches or instructions on how to use it properly then
you can pay a visit at your local hardware store. Read stuff
winch reviews for more details.